THE DRIVERS, PART XIX.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Ask anyone who has been involved in racing what they remember most about the sport - besides the memorable cars and races - and they will always talk about the people and the personalities involved. It's these stories that fuel the memories, because racing is far from a one-dimensional pursuit. It's a passionate endeavor that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders just can't understand. And it's these memorable characters who have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the previous issues, I have recalled some - but not all - of my favorites (scroll down to "next 1 entries" to read previous issues -WG), and there are clearly many more exceptional drivers to cover. If you follow me on Twitter (@PeterMDeLorenzo) and read this column, you know that I've been posting images and commentary covering a lot of the compelling historical stories from racing's golden years. This week I'm focusing on another all-time great: Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr.

(Getty images)
If there were a Mount Rushmore of American drivers, Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. would certainly be on it. "A.J." was a tenacious competitor. He raced - and won - in USAC Champ cars, stock cars, sprint cars and midget cars. He raced - and won - in NASCAR and in major league sports car racing. He registered 159 career victories in USAC competition, and he still holds the record for Indy car wins with 67. A.J. remains the only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500 (one of four drivers to win it four times; along with Al Unser, Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves), the Daytona 500 (1972), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1967) and the Daytona 24 Hours (1985). Foyt also won the IROC series in 1976 and 1977. Foyt's success has led to induction in numerous motorsports halls of fame. In the mid-sixties, Foyt become a team owner, fielding cars for himself and other drivers. Since retiring from active race driving, he has owned A. J. Foyt Enterprises, which has fielded teams in the IRL, CART, NASCAR and INDYCAR. A.J. is simply one of the greatest talents to ever get behind the wheel.

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A. J. was a familiar - and tenacious - competitor in Indy cars. His grit and determination behind the wheel were legendary.

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A.J. Foyt's talent wasn't limited to open-wheel racing machines; he was especially adept at sports cars as well. Here he is at the Nassau Speed Weeks in 1966 with the No. 83 Lola T70 Mk.2-Ford. The entry was not competitive.

(Dave Friedman photo)

Riverside International Raceway, January 17, 1965. A.J. Foyt competed in the NASCAR Grand National Motor Trend 500 in the No. 00 Holman-Moody Racing Vel's Ford. He qualified 12th but suffered a devastating crash with just 16 Laps left in the race. Watch it here. A.J. was declared dead by local track officials at the scene, but Parnelli Jones rushed over and noticed A.J. was moving slightly, and promptly removed a big dirt clod from A.J.'s mouth so he could breathe. A.J. spent two months recuperating, but a tragedy was averted.

(Dave Friedman photo)

12 Hours of Sebring, March 21, 1964. Ken Miles (No. 1 Shelby American Cobra 427 Prototype) and A. J. Foyt (No. 2 Mecom Racing Team Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport) dueled during the race, but Ken (with co-driver John Morton) didn't finish, and A.J. (with co-driver John Cannon) finished well down the field. Ken had crashed heavily in practice, and the Shelby American crew basically had to rebuild the entire car before the race. But for a brief moment, Miles - in the 427 Cobra he developed to take on the Corvette Grand Sport - and Foyt, in one of the ferocious Corvette Grand Sports, battled it out.

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1965 Indianapolis 500, May 31, 1965. A fantastic image of three all-time greats: Jim Clark (No. 82 Team Lotus-Ford), A.J. Foyt (No. 1 Sheraton-Thompson Lotus-Ford) and Parnelli Jones (No. 98 J.C. Agajanian Hurst Lotus-Ford) battle it out during the race. This was the "500" that Clark dominated, while Parnelli finished second. A.J., who started from the pole, had rear end issues and was classified fifteenth.

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24 Hours of Le Mans, June 11, 1967. Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt (No. 1 Shelby American Ford Mk IV) dominated the race, after the skeptical members of the European motorsport media scoffed at the idea that the American duo would have the discipline to even finish the race, let alone win it. They especially singled-out Foyt as not having the chops to complete the race distance. But Gurney crafted a brilliant race strategy - and A.J. followed it to the letter - and they won the race by four laps, humiliating Ferrari - again - in the process. It was one of the greatest days in the history of American motorsport. Bruce McLaren and Mark Donohue (No. 2 Shelby American Ford Mk IV) finished second, making it a 1-2 for Shelby and Ford. A fantastic day.

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Le Mans, France, June 1967. Sweet Victory. Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt celebrate their momentous win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They proved the skeptics wrong and delivered one of America's greatest days in motorsport. And yes, this was the scene when Gurney sprayed everyone with Champagne around the podium - a tradition that lives on to this day. 

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Atlanta, Georgia, April 11, 1965. Marvin Panch was credited for the win in the Atlanta 500 NASCAR Grand National Series race at Atlanta International Speedway driving the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford, but it was relief driver A. J. Foyt who took the checkered flag and delivered the victory for the famed Wood Brothers racing team. A. J. has joined Marvin - and the race queen - in Victory Lane, and that's Leonard Wood on the lower left of the picture.

(GM)

A. J. Foyt drove the Oldsmobile Aerotech experimental prototype from GM Design, breaking multiple speed records. A. J. set a world closed-course speed record of 257.123 mph (413.788 km/h) on August 27, 1987 at the 7.712-mile (12.411 km) test track near Fort Stockton, Texas. On the day before -  August 26, 1987 - A. J. posted a top speed over a mile of 267.88 mph (431.10 km/h), hitting 275 mph in the process. The Oldsmobile Aerotech's lead exterior designer was Ed Welburn, who would go on to head GM Styling. The car itself was based on a highly-modified March Engineering 84C CART Indy car chassis. Besides the striking exterior design, the machine's under-body incorporated adjustable panels that changed the amount of airflow that passed through the car's under-body tunnels. This system not only generated great amounts of downforce but also allowed the engineers to adjust the system for different race tracks. The car used to set records was actually the second car developed by GM, with its long-tail design aimed specifically for high-speed stability. Ted Louckes, head of the Quad 4 engine program, was looking to showcase the potential of GM's advanced 4-cylinder engine, and the Aerotech program became the perfect vehicle to do that. The 2.3-liter twin-turbo, DOHC Quad 4 engine was developed for the record run by Fueling Engineering and produced in excess of 1000HP.

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

A. J. Foyt is one of the greatest racing drivers of all-time, as his aforementioned career record indicates. He could do it all on any kind of track you can think of: dirt, ovals, road courses and Super Speedways. He is most proud, however, of being the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, and he has been often quoted as saying that The Speedway made his career. 

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG